


Half A Summer Without You

by poprockshawty



Series: I Love You Like A Love Song [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, High School, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21792352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poprockshawty/pseuds/poprockshawty
Summary: High school sweethearts Yifan and Junmyeon get separated when Junmyeon has to study abroad. A year later when he returns, he finds himself running not into Yifan’s embrace but into the friend-zone.
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris
Series: I Love You Like A Love Song [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1461193
Comments: 33
Kudos: 89
Collections: Song For You : The Second Album





	Half A Summer Without You

Having just returned to Seoul after a year of studying in England, Junmyeon was glad to be home. He was still trying to overcome the jet lag, staying in bed even though it was already five o’clock in the afternoon. He was awake for a bit when it was noon, but he fell back asleep again, and even now that he was awake once more, he still did not want to get out of bed.

Yawning, Junmyeon moved to retrieve the phone that somehow ended up under his pillow. There were so many people he needed to catch up with now that he was back, most of them being his friends and teachers from high school. Before anyone else, though, he had been catching up with his family, in particular his elder sister Hyoyeon who was getting married soon.

Since Junmyeon was reluctant to leave the comfort that could be provided only by his bed — and after all it had been a year since he had experienced this same comfort — he opened his Instagram to have a look. The first instastory that popped up was from Yoona, a sunbae from Junmyeon’s old high school. They got acquainted when organizing extracurricular activities together a couple of years ago, and Yoona was also one of Hyoyeon’s close friends.

Junmyeon saw his sister’s face in Yoona’s instastory and was not surprised — he knew it was her bachelorette party last night, and it seemed like everyone had been drinking a lot.

Junmyeon had always wondered what bachelorette parties were like. Of course, he had never attended one nor would he ever be invited to one, but was it really anything like the way it was depicted in the movies and on TV? Did people just hire strippers and hookers, get hella wasted, and make decisions that they were going to regret? Yoona’s comprehensive instastory convinced Junmyeon that that was pretty much the case. He saw that one of Hyoyeon’s friends, Jessica, was sitting on the lap of a male escort — hey, hold on. Some of Yoona’s snaps might have been blurry but this video had everything captured with relative clarity. That was not just any male escort. That was Wu Yifan.

Ouch. Junmyeon felt as if someone had stuck a dagger into his heart. That shit hurted. He wished he could unsee this — he must have been cursed to have to watch his ex-boyfriend make out with someone else.

Shaking his head, Junmyeon tried to remind himself that he and Yifan were technically not even boyfriends at any point. Sure, they went on a couple dates, but that was all last summer before he left Seoul for England. And when he left, Yifan was heartbroken. From then on, they were only following each other on social media but did not exchange any texts or calls. No conversation; all that was left was their memories.

So what right did Junmyeon have, to be jealous or to feel hurt by this? And now that he thought about it, he would probably run into Jessica at his sister’s wedding as she was supposed to be one of the bridesmaids. Junmyeon groaned and facepalmed. No, no, he had already suffered enough throughout his final year of high school in England. Now that he was back in South Korea he was not going to allow himself to be unhappy. Even just getting out of bed, exiting his room to grab something to drink would be good. So he did exactly that, and sat down at the dinner table waiting for the rest of his family to come home.

Very soon, his sister was home. “My dear brother,” Hyoyeon piped up. “Why do you look so melancholic?”

“I’m just sleepy,” Junmyeon replied with a pout, clearly not ready to talk about his devastation yet. “I see _you’re_ in a good mood though.”

“I’m actually more stressed about the wedding preparations than I look,” said Hyoyeon, albeit with a laugh. “Perhaps when it’s your turn to get married you’ll understand.”

“Hmm,” Junmyeon shrugged. “Noona, I’m so envious of you, you know?”

“Ah, what do you envy me for?” Hyoyeon asked. “Are you sure it’s not just the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ mentality that’s making you feel this way?”

 _Eh, at least you aren’t still hung up on the one that got away, nor do you have to witness him making out with your sibling’s friend_ , thought Junmyeon to himself. But ultimately he decided that sounded too cynical, and he did not have the heart to ruin his sister’s pleasant mood. So in the end what he said was, “I envy you because your love life is going smoothly and now you’re even settling down with the love of your life. When will I ever be able to relate?”

“Awww, Junmyeon. You’ll get that chance someday as well! I’m just ahead of you because I’m older than you — it doesn’t mean you’ll never get there,” replied Hyoyeon in reassurance.

“Yeah, well, at this rate…” Junmyeon let out a sigh.

“Didn’t you meet anyone cute when you were in England?”

“Noona,” he whined. “How would I even have the time to date when I have to squeeze two years’ worth of A-Levels into less than one year of study and ace the exams for all my subjects?”

“True that, true that,” she chuckled. “Weren’t you going out on dates with that tall Chinese guy from your old high school though? Before you went abroad.”

Junmyeon buried his face in his palms. “Yeah. Yifan.”

“Yeah, him. What happened to him?”

“Oh, I don’t know, why don’t you ask your friend Jessica?” He blurted.

Hyoyeon giggled. “Not even she herself can keep up with her own chaotic love life, so I wouldn’t go there,” she said. “Well, now that you’re back in Seoul, do you think there’s _any_ chance at all that you can rekindle what you had with Yifan?”

“I’d have to find an excuse to get him to agree to meet up with me. Alone.”

“I’ll let you think about that then,” she replied. “But if that doesn’t work out...I can set you up with someone who’ll be at the wedding.”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” Junmyeon nodded reluctantly.

* * *

Despite what Junmyeon had previously said to Hyoyeon, even after a couple of days his head was still empty and he still had no thoughts about how to approach Yifan. This was a problem as he was going to be reunited with Yifan very soon, and in person too — at their old high school, it was time for the graduation ceremony to be held. And since Junmyeon was an alumnus, and he was friends with so many others from the graduating class, he also got to attend the ceremony as a guest.

The graduation ceremony also came with celebrations which involved a string of performances ranging from choral speaking to dance to music. The entertainment captured highlights throughout the year, including the singing contest more than half a year ago. Some of the winners, such as the school’s favorite vocalist duo Luhan and Jongdae, as well as the school’s it-couple Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, were going to perform a remix of what they delivered for the contest. No one but the performers themselves were privy to what new elements and features would be added to this time. Everything was kept under wraps which only made it more exciting and mysterious, and everyone was looking forward to that stage.

Before the ceremony and the entertainment could begin, the graduates had some time to roam the campus one last time, take pictures and reconnect with their schoolmates and teachers. Already dressed in their graduation gowns, all the students looked pretty much the same, but Junmyeon had no trouble recognizing his group of close friends. They were also hollering his name at the top of their lungs once they spotted him, the cutest bunny among crowds of students and their proud family members.

As Junmyeon made his way to them with a broad grin on his face, he hugged them one by one. His best friend Yixing first, followed by Baekhyun, then Kyungsoo, and then Chanyeol, and finally...Yifan.

All of them engulfed Junmyeon in the warmest embrace. They could not stop gushing about how much they missed him and how excited they were to get to see him again. Yixing had missed his best friend so much he could cry. Even Kyungsoo, who was usually a .jpg, showed his .gif side to Junmyeon this time. Baekhyun was always loud and energetic, and so was Chanyeol, but Chanyeol’s stepbrother Yifan had always been one of the quieter ones.

Junmyeon did not know if he should go ahead and hug Yifan just as he did with everybody else. He felt like he ought to just go for the embrace since he _did_ miss Yifan a lot, and it would be rude to leave him out. But then...was a hug really the most befitting way to express how he felt toward Yifan? His heart was actually racing — Yifan was even taller now than when they last saw each other. His big hands, his sharp jaw, his beautiful eyes...everything. Junmyeon missed _everything_ about Yifan.

Fuck it. Junmyeon gulped and wrapped his arms around Yifan anyway, the same way he did with all his other friends. Yifan returned the gesture, but the awkwardness was there. It felt slow, or maybe everything was just in slow motion, cinematic-style.

“It’s so nice to see you again,” said Junmyeon afterward, looking up at Yifan earnestly. He meant that with all his heart and he hoped that his sincerity would not be doubted. How he yearned for Yifan every single day of his life when he was abroad, and how little of that yearning Yifan knew about.

“Yeah, nice to see you too,” Yifan replied. He was no less genuine, but it came off as way more awkward when he said it aloud than how it sounded in his head.

“How have you guys been?” Junmyeon asked, facing all of his friends so that nobody would feel left out. He was actually more updated about how his friends had been doing, since they talked so frequently on social media. It was only when it came to Yifan that Junmyeon was relatively clueless.

As they one by one talked about what they had been up to and what their plans after high school were, Junmyeon listened to them attentively. Yifan on the other hand already knew about all of that, so he kept his gaze on Junmyeon. Although he maintained his default resting bitch face, deep inside he felt conflicted. His heart was telling him to hold nothing back, to run to Junmyeon, to profess his undying love for him, and to never let him get away again. But at the same time, he could absolutely not forget how Junmyeon broke his heart last summer. They had been going on dates and everything seemed to be going so well that Yifan really thought they could develop a romantic relationship. But then he suddenly found out that Junmyeon was not going to attend the final year at their high school, since he was going to be flying to England and spending his final year there. Yifan was shocked to say the least, and saddened, and angry, and lots of other things. Surely Junmyeon had known about this a long time ago but he deliberately kept that a secret from everyone. And then he left without saying goodbye, without any consideration for Yifan’s feelings. Throughout the entire year that he was away, Yifan blamed him. He could not believe how selfish Junmyeon was. Junmyeon had hurt him so deeply, and Yifan swore he would never forgive and never forget.

With a slight frown on his face, Yifan tore his gaze away from Junmyeon and checked the time.

“I think it’s time for us to proceed to the hall and get seated,” he pointed out gently, not to sound like he was utterly uninterested in catching up with Junmyeon because he _was_. He wanted to know how Junmyeon had been spending his days in England, if Junmyeon spared any thought for him while he was overseas and they were separated, and if Junmyeon felt even the slightest bit of remorse for leaving him like that.

“Yeah, we should probably go in now,” Yixing suggested. “There won’t be much time between the ceremony and the entertainment, especially since we have to get changed and all that, so let’s all come back to this spot and catch up afterward!”

* * *

The graduation ceremony per se was actually quite boring. Speeches were given, hands were shaken, certificates were awarded, people bowed, clapped, took photos, and that was pretty much it. At least, that was the serious part. Most of the people in attendance really cared more for the entertainment because who could turn down a good performance from some of the most artistically talented students that this school had nurtured?

Everybody was eager to find out how the performances for this occasion would be different from the stages during the singing contest. As usual, Chanyeol was appointed as the MC, as that was the image that he had built for himself over the years: the school’s go-to MC. And when it came to the final performance of the day, everyone was already on the edge of their seats, knowing that the best must have been saved for the last.

“I overheard a lot of our graduates’ conversations today,” Chanyeol began. His job was to get the audience hyped for the performance but everyone was already so ready for it. “And the two things that were said most frequently were ‘I wish you happiness’ as well as ‘goodbye’. Because we don’t know when we’ll be able to see one another again, and even if we do, we would probably be very different people than who we are now,” he explained. “Addressing this sentiment, we have prepared a stage that will feature your favorite vocalists, your favorite dancers, and more. Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for it?”

Seeing as the audience’s reaction was so encouraging and enthusiastic, without further ado Chanyeol stepped back and the curtains reopened to reveal about 10 students on stage. Junmyeon from his seat in the balcony could see that there were 5 boys and 5 girls but he could not see their faces clearly, as they had their backs to the light source and they were all crouching.

When the music started playing and the lights finally shone on the performers’ faces, Junmyeon gasped. Yifan was there on stage. Yifan was there! Junmyeon might have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside he was definitely freaking out. Holy shit, he was not prepared for this.

Everyone in the audience was cheering, and Junmyeon was smiling too, all through the song. Contently, he listened as they sang and danced on stage. Yifan was mostly dancing at the back since he was so tall, while Yixing was at the front, taking the center position. The whole dance was probably choreographed by him too. His class did become the overall champion at the Inter-Class Dance Competition after all.

They all looked like they were having fun and Junmyeon could not have been prouder. At the same time, he also wondered when Yifan’s lines would come. Perhaps he would get a whole rap verse to himself, probably in the bridge. Junmyeon knew just how talented Yifan was and how passionate he was about rapping. But when they got to the second verse right before the chorus, Yifan was in the center, and he _sang_.

“ _We pretend not to know each other, looking elsewhere…_ ”

Junmeyon’s jaw dropped in astonishment, simply because Yifan _sang_ , not even because of the lyrics that did not even register in Junmyeon’s mind. Yifan hardly ever sang, and those on stage with him were all better vocalists than he was. But the one time he sang, Junmyeon was fortunate enough to get to hear it with his own ears, and instantly his heart began to race. Yifan only had two singing lines, which was not surprising considering the lines had to be distributed among 10 performers and surely the audience would expect the most singing parts to go to the winning vocalists from the singing contest. Those two lines were certainly not much, but it _meant_ a lot to Junmyeon. Yifan’s voice was actually lovely; he just never had much of a chance to shine. More often than not he was overshadowed by the others who were no doubt amazing singers as well. But Yifan. Yifan was everything.

Junmyeon’s mouth remained wide open for the rest of the stage. Although nobody else in the room could possibly be as smitten with Yifan as Junmyeon was, they were all astounded at just how stable Kyungsoo sounded when he nailed the high note toward the end of the bridge. Junmyeon had always known that Kyungsoo was good at singing, but he never knew Kyungsoo was _this_ good.

During the final chorus, as the confetti fell, Junmyeon’s focus once again returned to Yifan who was now the center. That was his rightful spot, and he held that spot until the very end of the performance.

“ _I wish you happiness, now goodbye, goodbye…_ ”

As the song finished, they bowed to the audience who gave them a standing ovation, and that was the final performance of the day. Afterward, the principal went on stage to give a speech, but of course it was not as captivating as the performance just now. Junmyeon could not get over the beautiful vocals that he was blessed by. He was absolutely mesmerized by Yifan. Yifan did not even rap, he just sang his two lines and danced with everyone else, but Junmyeon was already enthralled. Yifan was so precious. How desperately Junmyeon wanted to protect precious Yifan...and yet he was also the one who hurt Yifan most deeply.

Thinking about his previous conversation with Hyoyeon, Junmyeon figured that there had to be a way for him to reach out to Yifan and make things up to him. He _wanted_ to make it up to Yifan, and he hoped — _prayed_ — that Yifan would forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye last year.

As the principal went on and on, Junmyeon ignored all of what she was saying and focused on his own thoughts. How different things would be if he never left for England, if he had stayed in this high school to spend his final year with Yifan. They would definitely have officially become a couple already. And if Junmyeon got to call Yifan his boyfriend, then naturally he would be bringing Yifan as his plus-one to Hyoyeon’s wedding...hmm…

That was just wishful thinking, Junmyeon knew. If only he had half of his sister’s luck when it came to love. That would have been great. But no, he had to screw it up and even though he wanted Yifan back, Yifan might not want him back anymore.

Feeling uncertain but not entirely defeated, Junmyeon slowly exited the hall when the ceremony came to an end. He met up with his friends, wondering what plans they had afterward.

“Yifan, are you still going to join us? Or you got other plans?” Baekhyun asked, winking at Yifan and then tilting his head slightly in Junmyeon’s direction. Junmyeon understood that their friends knew that he and Yifan used to be a couple back then (well, almost a proper couple) and now that the two of them were reunited, Junmyeon sure did want some alone time with Yifan; he just wished he knew how to fight for it.

“Aren’t we supposed to go to the karaoke box? Of course I’m joining,” Yifan answered smoothly, absolutely no discomfort or awkwardness detected. It was as if he did not even so much as pick up on what Baekhyun was putting down, which surprised his friends quite a bit.

When no one said anything, Yifan went on. “Junmyeon! My friend! Do you wanna come with us? It’d be lovely if we could all hang out together as a big bunch of friends, ‘cause after all, now that we’ve graduated, who knows when we’ll be able to do that again? Can’t count on a ‘next time’ anymore.”

That sounded like _shade_. Yifan was not wrong, though — after graduation, they would all be going to different universities, or seeking employment, or taking a gap year, each of them embarking on a different path to find their own place in this world. But what Junmyeon was most focused on was Yifan’s choice of words. ‘My friend’? ‘ _Friend_ ’? Really? His heart skipped a beat when Yifan spoke _directly_ to him, and he almost gasped when Yifan friend-zoned him so blatantly.

“Yeah, join us, it’s gonna be so much fun,” Yixing added, looking at Junmyeon hopefully.

“I mean...sure…” Junmyeon drawled, not out of hesitation but in disbelief at Yifan’s attitude.

“Alrighty! Let’s go!” Chanyeol chimed in. “I’m excited.”

* * *

At the karaoke box, the group of friends had a lot of fun singing their favorite songs at the top of their lungs. But not exciting enough for Junmyeon to completely forget how Yifan treated him just now. He supposed Yifan had every right to be mad or feel hurt about where they left off the last time they saw each other, but Junmyeon would honestly rather be hated by Yifan than have to settle with just being friends with him. He knew he had to find a way out of this friend zone, and quick, but how?

 _Hey, why not use a song to make a statement?_ _We’re already in the karaoke box, so it makes sense to take advantage of the circumstances_ , said a voice at the back of Junmyeon’s mind.

There was no time to waste. As soon as Yixing had finished singing his favorite Mandarin song, it was Junmyeon’s turn, and the song of his choice started to play. Without hesitation, he picked up his mic and began to sing smoothly. When he got to the chorus, that was the part that he was singing only so he could convey to Yifan that he could not possibly stand to be nothing more than friends.

“ _The friend label is a label that I got to hate. The feelings I’ve hidden still remain as a painful secret memory_ ,” he sang, gazing intently at Yifan who chose to keep his eyes on the big TV screen that displayed all the lyrics. It seemed all their other friends understood the hint that Junmyeon was trying to drop, whereas Yifan remained expressionless and unmoved. Junmyeon could see, from the corner of his eye, that Chanyeol gently nudged his stepbrother as if motioning for Yifan to give some sort of response to Junmyeon, but the stoic expression on Yifan’s face was here to stay.

After the chorus, there was supposed to be a rap verse, and Junmyeon knew he was not going to do a very good job at it. He and his friends were all expecting Yifan to cover that verse, but he did _not_ fold to the pressure. He made no effort to pick up his mic, and that verse was going to start in a couple seconds’ time.

Shooting a quick glance at Junmyeon, Chanyeol felt sorry for him. Chanyeol knew that it would be awkward if everyone just stayed silent throughout that rap verse, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed his mic and stepped up, rapping that verse with precision and without missing a single beat.

Having successfully diffused the awkwardness, everybody happily joined in and harmonized with Junmyeon when the chorus came up again. Everybody except Yifan, still so stubborn and there was still no change in his facial expressions. Absolutely nothing could pressure him into giving in, not even when he was the only one who was not singing. But Junmyeon was also not going to give up that easily. He knew that the bridge would be another opportunity for him to express to Yifan what he could not say with mere words.

“ _I’m sorry that this is a monologue. Oh, the truth is, I love you. If only the secrets that had been long-hidden were revealed, I would be holding you in my arms now_ ,” Junmyeon continued to sing, from the bottom of his heart, and none of it was faked. There was no acting needed, nor was he being dramatic, when he truly felt that way towards Yifan.

Contrasting Junmyeon’s loving gaze and voice that exuded affection and longing, Yifan only felt relief when the song was over. Yifan refused to let any of his emotions show on his face, feeling the need to put some sort of barrier between Junmyeon and his own feelings. The farther the emotional distance between them the better. Yifan would be an idiot to take him back so quickly and allow himself to potentially get hurt again. Of course, he was still attached to Junmyeon, but how could he not have learned his lesson after the way Junmyeon heartlessly left him last summer? Why risk getting his heart broken once more? Why be so open about how he felt when he could keep all of it to himself and protect himself that way?

The next song that came on was a song full of rap verses that Yifan and Chanyeol were very familiar with. So they took over, and Yifan rapped and sang with energy. He was enjoying himself, even though he could still feel Junmyeon’s eyes on him. Good. He wanted Junmyeon to only have eyes for him.

* * *

At the end of the night, they all had to go home, taking public transport that went in different directions. Junmyeon alighted from the subway at the same station as Yifan and Chanyeol did, and after that the stepbrothers were supposed to walk home whereas Junmyeon still had to take a bus to get home.

"Here we are," Chanyeol announced when they reached his doorstep. "Oh man, we should really hang out more often. I'm gonna miss this so much."

"Definitely. We _have_ to stay in touch," Junmyeon replied heartily. "By the way, Chanyeol, you don't mind if I just have a word with Yifan, right? It'll just be a couple minutes."

Junmyeon knew better than to directly ask Yifan if he wanted to talk — he was not going to give the tall Chinese boy a chance to say no. Chanyeol giggled and agreed right away, stepping into his house on his own to give his stepbrother and Junmyeon some alone time that was much needed.

Yifan watched as he got abandoned by his own brother. It was not as if he hated to be left alone with his almost-ex — actually, scratch that. He had been dreading this moment.

"What's up?" Yifan forced himself to ask casually as if it was not supposed to be awkward at all. Given their history, their whole year of not talking to each other, how he tried to put Junmyeon in the friend-zone earlier today, and Junmyeon's little stunt in the karaoke box just now...it was very awkward.

"Oh, I was just wondering how you've been doing, since we haven't seen each other in a long time..." Junmyeon began. Inwardly, he had so many doubts. Should he have just cut to the chase instead? Should he have apologized? He was not even sure what exactly he wanted to say to Yifan; all he knew was that he needed to have a conversation with Yifan, just the two of them.

"I've been doing okay," Yifan answered vaguely, offering no further explanation. "How are you and your family?" He asked, just to be polite. It would suffice to sustain Junmyeon's interest in keeping this conversation going, but not enough to convince Junmyeon that it would be easy to earn his forgiveness.

"Ah...me too..." said Junmyeon, licking his lips in nervousness. "Um...actually...my sister is going to get married."

"Oh, really! That's great. When?"

"This weekend, actually."

"I see. Well, please send my regards and best wishes to her," Yifan replied, and his mirth was genuine.

"Sure, I will," said Junmyeon hastily. "You know what, I'm going to sing at my sister's wedding. And it'd be a pity if you're not going to be there to witness it."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll sing beautifully and entertain all the wedding guests just fine without me," Yifan commented. "You sang well just now."

"Uh...thanks..." Junmyeon spluttered, eyes widening at Yifan. Was he playing dumb? Did he really not get the hint? Why was he like this? "Actually...I didn't tell my family that we broke up last summer," Junmyeon added sheepishly.

Yifan arched an eyebrow, not sure if he should be more surprised that Junmyeon's family did not know about the status of their 'relationship', or that that poorly done separation could even be considered to be a breakup. "And...?"

"And...so, you know, like...my parents kinda still think we're still together...and...I don't really know what to tell them when they're expecting me to bring a plus-one to my sister's wedding," Junmyeon continued to lie.

"Ooh. Well, that does sound like a very tricky situation," Yifan replied, sounding like he was trying to empathize with Junmyeon but the snarky and sardonic undertones were very much present.

"I know right! So can you just play along with it and just be there at the wedding as my plus-one? There'll be free food and drinks; I'm sure you'll have a lovely time!" Junmyeon blurted, looking up at Yifan in desperation.

Yifan folded his arms across his chest and pursed his lips. "The reception is this Saturday evening?"

"Yes!" Junmyeon answered immediately.

"Sorry, I'm not available."

Junmyeon's face fell. "You mean..."

"I'm not free that day, sorry," Yifan explained, running his hand through his hair and ruffling it. "I have plans already. With my father. And I don't get to see him that often, so I can't cancel," he added. Junmyeon was reminded that Yifan lived with his mother, his stepfather, and Chanyeol, whereas Yifan and his own father only met up once in a while.

"Oh..." Junmyeon uttered. "Ah, well...that's a pity. Maybe next time?"

"I hope your sister is only getting married once and there won't be a next time."

Junmyeon had the urge to glower at Yifan. He _hated_ Yifan's quick remarks, how they sounded like kind words or harmless jokes but were actually meant to be mocking. But Junmyeon was still able to keep his cool, reminding himself that he was actually in no position to be mad at Yifan, not after how he just left...

"Well, you know what I mean! I just want to be able to hang out with you again."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll have that chance," replied Yifan. His words radiated optimism but his tone was nonchalant. Junmyeon was momentarily disheartened, but he was still too attached to Yifan to just give up altogether. He was going to keep trying, just that it was probably not the best idea to keep pushing Yifan right now. It might even work out in Junmyeon's favor to just wrap up this conversation for now and try again when another opportunity arose. There just had to be a next time. He did not know when it was going to be, but he needed it to happen at some point.

"Yep! I'll look forward to it," said Junmyeon spiritedly. "Just text me if you ever wanna hang out, yeah?"

"Sure, I'll do that," Yifan agreed, but perhaps only on the surface. "Get home safely. Goodnight."

Junmyeon's heart fluttered at those words. He wanted to believe that at least some part of Yifan, no matter how small, still cared about him. "Yeah, goodnight."

* * *

Although Junmyeon was a bit bummed out that he was not able to bring Yifan to the wedding as his plus-one — his parents obviously knew that Junmyeon had not been in a relationship with Yifan — on the day of Hyoyeon's wedding, Junmyeon was still in the best mood ever and nothing could dampen his happiness. Everything was perfect and as it should be for his sister's big day, and he was so, so pleased about it.

At least, for Junmyeon everything was perfect _until_ he saw someone at the wedding reception in the evening. Someone that he _never_ thought would be there.

None other than Wu Yifan himself.

Whereas Junmyeon was utterly shocked, Yifan did not even look the least bit surprised, sitting there comfortably as if he knew very well that he was supposed to be there. He also knew that he looked very dashing in a suit, tall and handsome. Absolutely irresistible and Junmyeon would rather devour him than question him about why he was here.

Yifan was unfazed. He had seen all of it coming. He was well aware of Junmyeon's sister's wedding even before the bride’s brother himself opened his mouth to talk about it. He saw through all of the excuses that Junmyeon used the other day when trying to talk him into attending the wedding with him. Yifan knew he was going to be at the wedding either way, and he had known it for a long time too. But he chose to conceal that from Junmyeon, because was that not exactly what Junmyeon did last summer, right before their final year of high school was supposed to commence? Junmyeon must have also known for a long ass time that he was going to have to fly to England to study there, but he chose to keep that a secret from Yifan and all his other friends from school. Now Yifan was having his sweet, sweet revenge.

"Hey! I did _not_ expect to see you here! Didn't you say you were supposed to be spending time with your father?" Junmyeon asked, still in disbelief.

"And here I am with him," Yifan replied smoothly, pointing at his father who was chatting with the newlyweds and some of his other relatives at the moment. "He's cousins with the groom's father, which makes me second cousins with your new brother-in-law."

Junmyeon understood there and then that Yifan was giving him a taste of his own medicine. "No wonder! Wow, it's a small world, huh?"

"Yeah, indeed," Yifan laughed. "I should probably go and congratulate the newlyweds."

"Let's go together," Junmyeon suggested, leaping out of his seat instantly, again not giving Yifan any chance to say no.

* * *

As some hours passed and the newlywed couple entertained their guests with enthusiasm, Yifan found himself chatting with Jessica, one of the bridesmaids. Neither of them forgot that she got wasted and made out with him at the bachelorette party not long ago. Only privy to Yifan, however, was the fact that he used to have a crush on her when they were still in high school several years ago. It had been so long and he got over her long ago; he was just there at the party as an escort, doing it for the money and not for feelings.

"I actually wanted to apologize for that night," she began, still very much sober. "I was getting tipsy and to be honest I don't exactly remember all that I did, but if I've done something that made you feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry."

Whilst Yifan reassured her that it was alright, unbeknownst to either of them, Junmyeon was actually observing their exchanges from his seat. He was too far away from them to hear what they were talking about, but he was dying of curiosity, and yet he did not dare approach them to pry. One thing was for sure, though — Junmyeon was jealous. It seemed like Jessica and Yifan had become much more comfortable with each other. Junmyeon could not stop thinking about what he saw of their intimate interactions at Hyoyeon's bachelorette party through Yoona's lens. Before he knew it, he was already curling his sweaty hands into fists.

"Oh, I totally understand wanting to make some quick cash," said Jessica to Yifan as they continued to chat. "You know what, you're fluent in Mandarin, aren't you? My little sister Krystal is trying to learn the language as well, and my parents and I are looking for a tutor for her. Do you think you'd like to take up that job?"

"Oh, I'd love that, actually," Yifan answered merrily. "I’ve been told I'm good with kids. She's how old again? 11 years old?"

"Yeah. Since it's summer break for her already, we were thinking maybe you could come to our house like two or three times a week to teach her Chinese," explained Jessica. "She's so young, so I'm sure she'll learn fast."

"That'd be great. Why don't we exchange contacts so we can arrange lessons for your sister more easily," Yifan suggested.

Junmyeon huffed, not tearing his eyes away from the two of them. Sure, he wanted to know what the hell was going on between them, but he was not able to acquire any information about this even from his own sister. And at the same time he reckoned that Yifan was still too mad at him to be entertaining his queries about this apparent dalliance with Jessica. It seemed to Junmyeon that there was no way he was going to get his answers that easily or that soon. But no matter. It was more important for him to properly reconcile with Yifan than to satiate his curiosity.

* * *

After that weekend, Junmyeon met up with Yixing, and told his best friend all about his obstacles so far, regarding Yifan.

"I don't think you should be that focused on worrying about Jessica-sunbae right now,” said Yixing. “It's a much bigger problem that Yifan keeps friend-zoning you. Because even without your sister's friend in the picture, Yifan would still be treating you this way and it doesn't look like he plans on taking you back anytime soon.”

"Exactly. And I'm worried because I don't want to lose Yifan. I know, it was my mistake in the first place for leaving him without saying goodbye or giving him any explanation...but I really want him to give me a chance. And I don't know how to _make_ him do it, or if that's even achievable at all," Junmyeon whined.

"Hey, what are best friends for? I'm going to help you; don't worry," Yixing replied right away. "I have a plan, and it involves some acting, but will you be willing to execute it?"

* * *

Junmyeon decided to take Yixing’s advice, seeing as what Yixing suggested sounded like a solid plan. And the opportunity to put this plan into action soon arose, when Chanyeol suggested a sleepover at his place.

That night, the six of them sat together in a circle, playing board games. As expected Kyungsoo and Baekhyun made quite an inseparable couple, sitting ever so closely beside each other. Initially it was not a big deal that Junmyeon was sitting next to Chanyeol, but then they started whispering in each other’s ears. When either of them told a lame joke, the other would laugh very heartily and initiate a high-five, sometimes even slapping each other’s knees as they cackled, or having to lean on each other for a longer moment than necessary.

“Wa~ basketball man! Wassup, yo!” Junmyeon said singsong, carrying on Chanyeol’s running gag as if it was the easiest, most natural thing to do.

“Do you want to play basketball?” Chanyeol asked breezily, chuckling and totally enjoying this lighthearted conversation.

“Follow me to the rooftop!” Junmyeon winked and they both chortled again.

Honestly, it was not even that funny, but their reactions made it seem like they had never been more amused. It did not even look forced — either they were just that good at acting, or all of it was genuine.

They kept doing it all night and everyone could see it with their own eyes. Even Baekhyun had to secretly ask Yixing if anything was going on between Chanyeol and Junmyeon, and if they were all boo boo the fool for thinking that there was still a chance for Junmyeon and Yifan to get back together. After all Yifan and Junmyeon was the couple that their friends were rooting for. This time Kyungsoo was able to observe that the secretive interactions between Chanyeol and Junmyeon really seemed to be getting on Yifan’s nerves, whereas usually Yifan had quite good control over what emotions he allowed himself to show from his facial expressions.

“Does anyone want anything to drink? I’ll go grab something from the kitchen,” Chanyeol offered, standing up.

“Is the jelly ready?” Baekhyun asked, patting his tummy in anticipation.

“Oh right! I almost forgot about that,” Chanyeol guffawed.

“Silly,” Junmyeon remarked fondly.

“Yeah, silly me,” Chanyeol replied, making a face which again made Junmyeon giggle.

“I’ll help you with the jelly,” Kyungsoo volunteered.

“Oh, no, no need,” said Junmyeon suddenly, stopping the small vocalist before he could get up. “Allow me,” he added, quickly following Chanyeol to the kitchen.

Yifan was glaring at them the whole time, and mere moments after his brother and Junmyeon were out of sight, Yifan also stood up and announced monotonously, “maybe I should go help out too.”

It was plain to the rest of the squad what Yifan’s motives were. Eager to see how it would all play out, they looked on as Yifan also exited the room.

* * *

“It’s like a belly dance,” said Junmyeon to Chanyeol as he picked up a bowl of jelly and shook it gently.

“I know what you mean,” Chanyeol giggled, clapping his hands. “Hey, can you do a belly dance too?”

Junmyeon looked as if he was totally about to do as Chanyeol asked, but then Yifan showed up.

“What are you guys doing?” Yifan questioned, neither chidingly nor impressed.

“Just checking if the jelly is ready,” Chanyeol replied casually. “Think it looks fine. Where’s the evaporated milk?” He asked, examining the contents of the fridge. “Ah, there we go,” he added right after before his brother could answer.

“Oh, and the drinks,” said Junmyeon, efficiently placing each bowl of jelly onto a tray. Then he handed the tray to Yifan and looked at the tall boy expectantly. “Hold this.”

“Yeah, there’s only one can of coke left but I’ve got lemon tea, chrysanthemum tea, as well as sprite,” Chanyeol reported, closing the door of the fridge. “Let’s go.”

Yifan looked appalled. It was _his_ house and yet _he_ was the one receiving instructions? Also, he was fine with his friends eating his food but the black soda drink was _his_ and he had no intention of sharing.

“I don’t like it when people take my black soda drink,” Yifan stated icily, taking the can of coke from his brother’s hand and putting it back inside the fridge where it was supposed to be.

Junmyeon and Chanyeol exchanged glances in confusion, surprised by Yifan’s reaction.

“But I thought you didn’t like black soda drinks anymore,” Chanyeol pointed out.

“I don't care what happened in the past. The black soda drink is _mine_ ,” Yifan reiterated. “And I don’t see why anyone should be questioning how I feel about the black soda drink. It’s mine and that’s final.”

“Alright then. We’ll just get ourselves something else to drink,” Junmyeon shrugged and began making his way back to where their friends were all waiting.

* * *

It was a couple of days after the sleepover that Yifan finally consumed his precious can of black soda drink all by himself, while watching the telly. Halfway through an episode of a variety show, he was joined by his brother.

“I see you’re possessive,” Chanyeol commented, plopping down onto the sofa and putting his feet up.

Yifan just laughed. “I see we’re all playing nicely into Junmyeon’s little scheme.”

Chanyeol grabbed a cushion and placed it behind his neck to get more comfy. “So you saw right through it?”

“I saw right through it.”

“And you just trust me that much, huh?”

“I just trust my brother that much, yeah. And who else would I trust, if not you? I know you wouldn’t betray me. Because _you_ know how I feel about Junmyeon,” Yifan explained.

“Then, did you actually get jealous or were you just acting that way the other night?” Chanyeol asked curiously.

“What do you think?”

Giggling, Chanyeol said, “to be honest? I kinda think you’re too smart for that.”

Yifan winked. “Junmyeon forgets that I’m the one who came up with the masterplan when the two of us helped Kyungsoo and Baekhyun get together.”

“Right! Your mind. But it’s not like you haven’t been playing games with Junmyeon either,” Chanyeol pointed out. “Why did you have to behave like that towards him when we were at the karaoke box?”

Yifan shrugged, a frown on his face. “You don’t think he deserved it? After what he did to me last summer. And now he comes back into town thinking he can sweep me off my feet once again by, what, smiling at me? He thinks he can just breathe and I’ll fall to his feet and take him back right away? Yeah, right.”

Chanyeol snorted. “Actually, yeah, that’s what I think would happen because you’re actually whipped for him; you just don’t want him to be aware of that. Because then you’d be completely defenseless against him, and I guess I can’t blame you for simply not wanting to get your heart broken again. So yeah, I can understand your position.”

“I just feel more and more certain that he wants us to go back to the way we were before he just up and left. I’d even say he’s getting quite desperate because I haven’t been giving in. So now he’s willing to try any strategy, and it’s so obvious to me that he just wants me to get jealous. So that _I’d_ be the one making an attempt, to make sure _I_ won’t be losing him, when _he_ should be the one worried about losing me.”

“But if his plan didn’t actually work, then why did you deceive him by appearing to be jealous?” Asked Chanyeol.

“I can’t help but want to get back at him for all that he’s done to me,” Yifan admitted. “Does that make me a bad person?”

“Well...you’re my brother and I’m naturally inclined to take your side, so I wouldn’t be able to give you an unbiased answer.”

With a chuckle, Yifan replied, “you do know it’s precisely because you’re my brother — that’s why Junmyeon picked _you_ to be all flirty with, hoping it’s gonna trigger me. He thinks I wouldn’t be able to tolerate that betrayal. But it’s also precisely because we’re brothers — that’s why I knew his plan was doomed to fail even from the start.”

“You’re just so sly,” Chanyeol remarked. “I’m sure you’d already have guessed that he’s not done trying. And I think I gotta give him credit for the dedication.”

“Let him try. Let’s all play along then,” said Yifan laxly. “We’ll see if he’s any match for me.”

* * *

In the subsequent weeks, Junmyeon swung by often to play video games with Chanyeol. He was such a noob at it, whereas Chanyeol was such an expert. But Junmyeon did not mind it, since all he wanted was just an excuse to see if he would get to run into Yifan there.

Whenever Junmyeon was there when Yifan came home, Junmyeon noticed that Yifan was always in a really good mood. Junmyeon was also painfully aware that Yifan’s mirth was not thanks to Junmyeon’s presence.

“Ayo whaddup Krease,” said Chanyeol, not taking his eyes off the gaming screen but he could see from his peripheral vision that his brother just got home. “Back from the Jung household?”

“Indeed,” Yifan answered. “You know that always puts me in the best mood.”

"Aye, I'm glad it's all going well for you!" Chanyeol replied, sounding more and more excited as he was about to win the game whereas Junmyeon kept losing.

Junmyeon became distracted by what the two brothers were talking about. Or more accurately, the video games were the distraction and Junmyeon's true purpose was actually to pervade Yifan's life and creep into his heart.

Junmyeon wondered where in the world the Jung household was and what Yifan could possibly have been doing there that would bring him so much delight. Yifan was practically glowing, looking so pleased with what he had done and so proud of himself. So what was something that could make Yifan _so_ happy that he was even willing to let it show on his usually stoic face?

So many mind-boggling mysteries. So many unanswered questions. What if Junmyeon had to tie them all together in order to figure out what Yifan had been up to?

There was no way Junmyeon would have forgotten that he still had not solved the mystery of what was going on between Yifan and Jessica. Hyoyeon did mention that Jessica's love life was completely chaotic, but that did not imply that Jessica and Yifan were not dating. And hey! Jessica's surname was Jung...so if the Jung household was referring to her place? And Chanyeol was suggesting that Yifan was at Jessica's place?

Junmyeon gasped. What if Yifan and Jessica were really romantically involved...no wonder Yifan was glowing with happiness.

"Hey, you lost again," said Chanyeol pompously, turning to Junmyeon with a triumphant grin on his face. "Wanna try again?"

"Sure," Junmyeon answered absentmindedly. Losing to Chanyeol when playing video games was not a big deal, of course. But losing Yifan to someone else, Jessica or whomever, was not acceptable at all. Licking his lips, Junmyeon raised his voice. "Yifan, you wanna play with us too?"

"It's _so_ easy to win against him," Chanyeol added with a giggle.

"Oh, nah," said Yifan casually. "I shouldn't third-wheel the two of you. You guys have fun! I gotta go to basketball practice with my team anyway."

"Ah, right. You gotta be in your best condition for the year-end basketball game on Friday, right? Good luck! I will cheer for you!" Chanyeol chirped.

Junmyeon said nothing, only tracking Yifan with his eyes as he went from one part of the house to another, picking up the stuff he needed and going about his own business. Junmyeon was amazed, actually, to see that Yifan was back to being his usual aloof self again, with that standard inscrutable expression on his face. Time after time, Yifan had watched as Junmyeon kept hanging out with Chanyeol, exchanging jokes and pretending to be very close with each other. Junmyeon really thought that the stunt he had pulled with Chanyeol during the sleepover had worked, because Yifan did look very pressed that night. But after that, it was as if Yifan was completely fine with Junmyeon and Chanyeol spending so much time together. What the hell did he mean by being the third wheel? What was even worse was that Junmyeon and Yifan were hardly spending any time together, and Yifan was completely okay with that. Junmyeon had to take a deep breath, feeling as if he was about to implode in frustration. Yifan was messing with his head, and Junmyeon was so, so, so frustrated that he was not able to figure out what Yifan was thinking. Just what the hell was going on in that tall boy's head?

As Yifan headed out again, Junmyeon's thoughts remained a mess. He pondered upon the basketball game that the stepbrothers talked about just now. This coming Friday. Alumni were also welcome, so Junmyeon would be allowed to attend. And of course he was going to be there, not because he enjoyed watching basketball matches but because getting to see Yifan do what he was great at and what he was passionate about was so hot.

But simply sitting in the spectator stand and being a passive member of the audience would not do. It would not suffice for Junmyeon's purposes. He had to do more than that and he had to find a way to firmly re-capture Yifan's heart.

It was time for Junmyeon to reach out to Yixing for help again, and this time he was hoping that Yixing could offer assistance in another capacity.

* * *

Many students and alumni went to watch the year-end basketball game, and Yifan as the captain of the basketball team was very pleased that he led them well. They were all buzzing in exhilaration when it was announced that they won the game.

Once Yifan took a shower and got dressed, he exited the changing rooms and was about to make his way back home. However, he found two familiar figures leaning on each other on the bleachers, when pretty much everyone else had left already.

Yifan squinted at the pair and blinked several times, just to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him. Indeed, he saw Junmyeon and Yixing there. Cuddling on the bleachers like no one was watching.

For a long, long time Yixing and Junmyeon had been best friends. Yifan was well aware of that. And of course there was nothing wrong with that, but the way Junmyeon rested his head on Yixing's shoulder while Yixing had an arm draped across Junmyeon's shoulder...something felt _very_ wrong about it and a pang of jealousy arose in Yifan's chest.

Yifan slowed down in his tracks, wondering if Junmyeon could see him scowling at them. Or perhaps not, since they seemed to be too engrossed in cuddling with each other. Ah, look at them, even tickle-fighting now. If Yifan had not known better, or if any stranger had just walked past, it would have been easy to conclude that they were a couple rather than best friends.

Junmyeon was very ticklish and had to scoot away from Yixing, only for Yixing to tickle him even more relentlessly. Yifan's heart sank when he saw all of that unfold before his very eyes, and the thrill from his victory on the basketball court faded. He kept walking, approaching the hallway that was supposed to lead him to the campus gate. The closer he got to where Junmyeon and Yixing were, the more prominent his heartache became. Junmyeon's smiles, his laughter, his mirth, all of it was so genuine, and Yifan could remember a time when he was the prime reason for Junmyeon's happiness. They were also spending time like this last year, frolicking in their own world as if only the two of them existed in that time and space. So how come Yifan got replaced? Did Junmyeon have any idea how much pain he put Yifan through? What made Junmyeon think it would be alright to leave Yifan one summer and have him replaced by the next?

This was not okay. Yifan marched up the steps, his long legs allowing him to advance with speed. He was ready for a confrontation, and when he saw Yixing back-hugging Junmyeon, he could not stand it anymore.

Finally the two of them looked at Yifan properly, and let go of each other. Junmyeon greeted Yifan with a casual 'hey' as if nothing was wrong, but everything was wrong. Yixing took a step back from his best friend, saying nothing. But deep inside he was silently hoping that the show they put on had achieved its effect, wanting the best for Junmyeon. So when Yixing and Junmyeon saw how pissed off Yifan was, they had a hunch that their plan was going to work well this time around.

"Hey, congratulations!" Yixing said to Yifan merrily.

"Thanks," Yifan replied curtly. "Are you doing anything after the game?"

"Oh, nothing special. I'm probably just gonna go to my grandparents' house for a bit." Yixing shrugged, and then glanced at his watch. "I should probably go now. See you guys next time, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you!" Junmyeon chirped as he and Yifan watched Yixing go.

As soon as Yixing was out of sight, Junmyeon turned to Yifan and tried to conceal how excited he was to see his plan working.

"You got any plans?" The Korean boy asked.

"Sure do," Yifan answered, sounding miffed and impatient. "You?"

"I was thinking about getting ice cream or something, but— hey, what are you doing?!" Junmyeon squeaked mid-sentence, as Yifan had suddenly grabbed Junmyeon's hand, not even bothering to allow Junmyeon an extra moment to finish that thought. _Oh fuck, we're holding hands now, we're really holding hands, he literally grabbed my fucking hand, shit, it's happening_ , thought Junmyeon to himself. With Yifan taking the lead, together they dashed to the front gate, continuing to scamper for minutes until they reached the deck of the waterfront pier. Only then did Yifan have the will to slow down.

Catching his breath, Junmyeon piped up, "you could have warned me!"

"Ha! I could say the same damn thing to you," Yifan shot back right away. "But I'm not the one who decided to just go halfway across the globe without so much as telling my almost-boyfriend about it. I'm not the one who kept such a _big_ secret from someone that mattered so much to me. And I'm _certainly_ not the one who comes back after a year thinking it'd be easy for us to go back to the way we used to be. Because I actually give a damn about other people's feelings, unlike _some_ people."

Yifan's chest was still heaving up and down, but from that rant more than from the running. Junmyeon was calmer, looking Yifan in the eye as he said, "you finally said it. Wouldn't it have been so much easier for both of us if you had just said all of that to me once we were reunited?"

" _You_ out of all people have absolutely no right to tell me what I should have done or shouldn't have done," Yifan huffed.

"I know what you're mad about," Junmyeon sighed. "And I guess I kind of did anticipate this kind of reaction from you. But even then, I still made the decision that I did. And if I could go back in time...I don't know if I would have done any different."

"What?!" Yifan practically spat. "You think it's fine to break my heart like that? That it's perfectly alright for me to wake up one day, refresh my social media feed, and find out that you've hopped on a flight to fucking _England_ and you won't be coming back until a year later? You're unbelievable."

"Haven't you ever wondered why I kept that secret from you on purpose?"

"Oh, believe me, I'd very much _love_ to know why," said Yifan crossly.

"Of course I've known for like, a couple of months, that I'd have to study abroad. But I deliberately kept that from not just you but all of my friends as well. And the reason?" Junmyeon drew a deep breath. "It's because I don't want all the moments that we spend together that summer to be just because I was going to be away. I don't want to be hanging out with you or with the squad if you guys are gonna have the mentality that, you know, 'hey, Junmyeon is gonna have to go overseas soon, so we should really spend more time together'. I hate that mindset so much. I hate it, Yifan. Because even if I _wasn't_ going to have to go overseas, we should still be making the best of the time that we get to spend together. We should still cherish each other's company and have a blast. We should still be making just as much time for each other. Why is it only when people are about to lose something would they know to cherish it? That's the mentality that I have a problem with. And I don't want that for myself and those I treasure, and that includes _you_ , Yifan."

Yifan paused. His stare became softer and he gazed at Junmyeon for a moment before replying, "I can understand why you don't appreciate that mindset. But you have no idea how much pain you put me through just because you wanted to avoid a mentality you were aversive to. It broke my heart when I found out that you were leaving, and of course by that time it was already too late for me to do anything about it."

Junmyeon shook his head. "There was nothing you could've done about it either way. So rather than making you feel helpless for an extra couple of months...I figured I was just choosing between two kinds of agony to put you through, and I chose the lesser."

Yifan let out a sigh. "It just felt like you never gave any consideration to my feelings at all."

"And I get it. If you blame me for being selfish, I reckon it'd be justified."

Yifan frowned. "But then you came back to Seoul and acted as if I was supposed to forgive you right away take you right back without a fight. As if it was easy for me to deal with not having you around anymore. And the moment you come back into my life, I'm supposed to pretend nothing ever happened and that my heart was never broken. Seriously, what do you take me for?"

"Yifan, I really think that the 'it'll be easy to get him back' mindset is all just in your head. That was never the way I felt," Junmyeon clarified. "I might have looked like a fool this whole time but I've made so many attempts just to get you to pay attention to me, to overcome your efforts to friend-zone me out of spite. And that ain't easy, Yifan. That's the opposite of easy. Just because I refuse to give up doesn't mean I regarded it as something I could effortlessly accomplish, because as you can see, even now, I'm still not completely successful. How can it be 'easy' when you keep friend-zoning me? When you keep pretending you don't see what I'm trying to do? When you seem to be cool with how close I am with your brother? And most importantly, when you're more likely to become a couple with Jessica Jung than with me?"

"Oh," Yifan said, and chuckled shyly. Junmyeon was taken aback by the drastic change in his attitude.

" _Oh_ ," Junmyeon repeated, scoffing at the Chinese boy.

"The rest I won't deny, but the part about Jessica-noona..." Yifan explained, scratching the back of his head as he smiled wryly. "There's nothing going on between me and her."

Junmyeon glowered at Yifan. "Yeah, right. If letting her sit on your lap and making out with her counts as 'nothing going on' between you two, gosh, I'd also love it if there could be 'nothing going on' between the two of us. A whole lot of ‘nothing going on’, all day every day. Sign me the fuck up, please.”

Yifan coughed. "Ah, so you heard about what happened at your sister's bachelorette party...yeah that was kinda wild. Guess that's what I should've seen coming, working as an escort and all."

Junmyeon's glare was even more murderous now. "You've been a _whore_ while I was studying in England?!"

"It's not like that! I have my own terms and boundaries...I just wanted to make some quick cash since I realize I've been really reckless and financially irresponsible...like how I used up all my savings and spent them on useless stuff. When I wanted to organize a fan support project for Kyungsoo back then to cheer him on for the singing contest, I realized that I didn't have enough money. I also didn't have enough money to get my brother something nice for his birthday...so I needed some income," said Yifan guiltily. "I haven't been a whore though. I just attend certain social occasions as someone's arm candy, and get paid for it."

Junmyeon was still pouting. "That makes sense, and I can blame the alcohol for what you and Jessica did at the hen party, but then...why would you still need to go to her house so often? Chanyeol talked about the Jung household...and you always look so happy whenever you come back from that place. What was I supposed to think?"

Yifan burst into laughter. "That doesn't mean I'm dating her! I can see why you're getting that misimpression — but I'm really not involved with her. I'm there three times a week because I've found myself another way to earn money that doesn't involve ‘whoring’: I'm tutoring her little sister Krystal. She's 11 years old, so I'm sure that should put your suspicions to rest. I get paid for being her Chinese tutor, so these days I haven't been taking up jobs as an escort anymore."

"Ah! So that was what you two were talking about at my sister's wedding? Damn! I love jumping to conclusions..."

"Yeah, you do. But I still like you," Yifan chuckled.

Junmyeon's eyes were shining as he looked up at Yifan heartily. "You still do? You mean it? So does that mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Well...I've stayed mad at you for longer than you've been away, so I think it's time I let go of that heartbreak in the past...as long as you don't break my heart again in the future. I like you so much and you have so much power over me," said Yifan earnestly. “And by that I mean because I'm putting my heart in your hands and I'm trusting you to treat me well; I'm not referring to your childish little schemes, meddling with my brother and all that —"

"It worked, though. When I was with Yixing just now. You should've seen the look on your face. You're normally so calm and collected but just now, phew, you —"

"As I was saying," Yifan declared, clearing his throat. "I can let go of what's happened in the past, but please don't hurt me again."

"I promise," said Junmyeon, and this time he was the one to grasp Yifan's hand in an attempt to show him just how sincere he was. "I'm sorry I left you just like that. I won't do that again."

"I'm trusting you to consider my feelings," Yifan replied. "If you feel confident that you can do that, then I'll let you out of the friend zone."

"But then where would I go? Into your heart?" Junmyeon asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, into my heart of course," Yifan nodded, taking Junmyeon into his embrace. "And into somewhere we haven't officially been before...the boyfriend zone."

Junmyeon wasted no time in wrapping his arms around his tall boyfriend. "Don't think I don't know why you brought me here, by the way," he said, smiling. "Our first kiss meant everything to me and it happened right here. It's something I'll never forget."

"Oh, man. We could've shared so many more memorable moments if we got to spend our final year of high school together," Yifan pointed out, lamenting their time apart. "How I wish I got to hold you like this every day. I suppose we'll simply have to make up for it in the days to come."

"True. And you know what else we could've been doing?" Junmyeon giggled sweetly. "This."

Tightening his embrace, Junmyeon stood on tiptoe and kissed Yifan.


End file.
